Hindu family from Kairana shifts to Kota due to extortion by local goons

Family says Kairana, a Muslim-dominated town, has never witnessed communal tensions prior to the Muzzaffarnagar riots. After the riots local goons have been troubling traders and businessmen, extorting money

A Hindu businessman from Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana has migrated to Kota with his family due to growing threat from goons who extort money from businessmen and traders(AH Zaidi/HT Photo)

A Hindu businessman from Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana who has migrated to Kota with his family, says that he was forced to leave the town due to growing threat from goons who extort money from businessmen and traders.

Manish Mittal (48), said that he left the UP town to escape from the increasing menace of extortion by local criminal gangs and not due to communal tension.

Mittal, who owns a cinema hall in Kairana besides a large tract of agricultural land, says he and his family has shifted to Kota where his eldest son is admitted at a coaching centre preparing for the all-India medical entrance examination.

“My eldest son, Pulkit is preparing for the medical entrance examination from a coaching institute of Kota from the last one year while my younger son, Akshaya is studying at school in the city,” he tells Hindustan Times.

“I along with my children, wife, Sonika have been living in a rented house in Shreenathpuram neighbourhood of the city for the last couple of months,” says Mittal, who run a private hostel for coaching students in Kota.

He further says that in Kairana, a Muslim-dominated town, has never witnessed communal tensions prior to the Muzzaffarnagar riots. After the riots local goons have been troubling traders and businessmen, extorting money, he says.

Mittal, however, he refutes that his family or any other Hindu families are being forced to leave Kairana by the Muslim community.

Some Muslim youngsters used to trouble local traders by not paying for the grocery they purchase, watching movies without paying for tickets and attacking local traders after which it became difficult to stay in the town, he says.

“There is no fear of law and if residents registered complaints against these youngsters, the local police take no action against them.”

Mittal and his family who used to live in the Hindu- dominated Teachers Colony in the town, says Hindu families of Kairana are alienated from the Muslims community as they do not mix with the local Muslims.

He says his one of his elder brothers, Anoop shifted to Dehradun a couple of year back after he received extortion calls from a local criminal gang demanding Rs 10 lakh, while one of his uncles was fired at by local goons.

His eldest brother, Neeraj is still in the town but he too plans to sell his properties and shift to other town.

Asked if he would return to Kairana if he is assured of security for him and his family, Mittal says that he visits the town once in a while as he still has properties there but he will never return to as he thinks the situation is unlikely to improve in the future.